A St. Petersburg man died Saturday night after he was hit by a car on Fifth Avenue N, police said. Michael L. Simmons, 53, was struck by a sport-utility vehicle driven by Mark James Haumschild, 60, of Seminole just after 8 p.m., St. Petersburg police said. Simmons, who police said was drinking, stepped onto the westbound curb lane of Fifth Avenue N around the 4500 block when he was struck, police said. Simmons was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m..

CLEARWATER

Fire destroys auto repair shop

An auto garage near the Clearwater Air Park was destroyed in a fire Sunday evening, police said. Firefighters responded to Dario's Auto Shop, at 2065 Gentry St., just after 7:15 p.m. No one was injured in the blaze. The shop was a total loss. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

TAMPA

Platt Street Bridge will close today

The Platt Street Bridge leading to downtown Tampa will close early this morning for a renovation expected to take 105 days, displacing a daily average of 34,000 drivers. Police still expect traffic jams, particularly affecting Davis Islands and Tampa General Hospital and streets in the Hyde Park area. So officials suggest the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, Kennedy Boulevard or roads farther away than that. Visit hillsboroughcounty.org/publicworks/traffic/platt for project information, maps of alternate routes and detailed detour directions; or call (813) 635-5400 for information about the project or (813) 274-8333 for information on alternate routes.